New Zealand wrapped up the Davis Cup tie against Pacific Oceania with little fanfare and effort in just two days, after Dan King-Turner and Simon Rea defeated Michael Leong and Juan Langton 6-1 6-3 6-3 in the doubles yesterday.
The match took just 75 minutes and gave theKiwi team an unbeatable 3-0 lead, with the reverse singles still to be played at Dunedin's Edgar Centre today.
The key to the tie was power - the Kiwis had it and the Pacific Oceania players didn't.
In the doubles, King-Turner, 22, and Rea, 24 - who each stand close to 1.90m - had serves too powerful for their opponents, who were athletic but lacking in big tournament play. There were numerous occasions where a heavy shot by the Kiwis would put them in a position to smash a winner on either Leong or Langton returns.
"We tried to be aggressive from the start. We got an early break of serve and then got on a roll. We knew they didn't have big serves and tried to pressure them," said King-Turner.
"We combined well," said Rea. "Dan's got a big serve and was hitting some good returns. I felt I was playing pretty good, too."
In the dead reverse singles (which are now the best of three sets), Rubin Statham and Adam Thompson have been substituted in for New Zealand and will take on Langton and Brett Baudinet respectively.
The New Zealand team will now be looking ahead to their round two match against the Philippines or Pakistan.
The Philippines are expected to win the tie which was 1-1 after day one. If they advance, the tie will be played in New Zealand over Easter at a venue yet to be confirmed.
"If we play the Philippines, it will be tough. They are a Group 1 calibre team. We'll need good conditions and crowd support," said the left-handed Rea, who will be happy to play on the same indoor carpet surface again.
